


in this moment (and in any other)

by lady_liserator



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Future!Karolina, Future!Nico, angsty sex, you know I had to do this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:09:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22146217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_liserator/pseuds/lady_liserator
Summary: Set during 3x10 after Future!Nico and Future!Karolina listen to their past selves.-“No! No, Nico, No”. Nico can feel herself get pulled back and up by Karolina.They are both standing now, no longer hidden by the armchair, and Nico’s skin is burning where Karolina is holding her arm.She turns around slowly to face Karolina, tentatively looking up at her.-
Relationships: Karolina Dean/Nico Minoru
Comments: 7
Kudos: 222





	in this moment (and in any other)

**Author's Note:**

> After the last episode, I needed to process all my Deanoru feelings, and this is the result.  
> Nico and Karolina are endgame, and will be in any timeline, forever.  
> This is just my contribution to reinforce that theory.
> 
> _______________________________________________________

“No! No, Nico, No”. Nico can feel herself get pulled back and up by Karolina. They are both standing now, no longer hidden by the armchair, and Nico’s skin is burning where Karolina is holding her arm. She turns around slowly to face Karolina, tentatively looking up at her.

“I was just going to-”

Nico doesn’t know how to finish the sentence because there is no way she is going to tell Karolina what she was going to do.  
That she wanted to go and tell her past self that leaving her friends and Karolina was going to be the biggest mistake of her life.  
That leaving would result in this, a Karolina whose eyes have lost their sparkle and whose light has been dimmed. That it would result in a Karolina who was with someone who was not her. 

That last part, Nico realises reluctantly, hurt the most.

“You were going to leave again?”

The question comes at Nico like a blow and she winces. Karolina sounds angry, but she isn’t looking at Nico, her eyes averted, and the anger in her voice doesn’t reach her face.

“No, I-”, Nico’s shoulders fall.  
“I – I won’t leave”. 

Nico’s voice comes out so quietly that she doesn’t even know if Karolina can hear her. It feels like torture, seeing Karolina this broken, and it seems only fair that she would give Karolina the opportunity to say what she needed to say.  
So, taking in a deep breath to try and somewhat calm her fluttering heart, Nico braces herself for whatever would come next.  
But Karolina doesn’t add anything, and silence falls over them. 

All of Nico’s senses are still concentrated on the one place on her arm where Karolina is holding her tightly and she feels like she is boiling over with the need to close the distance between them. She can see Karolina take a deep breath a few times, words seemingly on the tip of her tongue, but she falls silent each time, resorting to chewing on her bottom lip.

Then, with a look back to where their past selves have been standing just seconds ago, she finally says something, the tremble in her voice resonating in Nico’s heart like a violent punch.

“You didn’t believe me. Just now. Or back then. Right?”

Karolina’s voice breaks when she adds the last word, the vulnerability of the question lingering between them, weighing down the air.

Nico swallows hard, her mind racing. Thinking back to that night sends a shiver down her spine, but she knows that she has to be honest with Karolina now, even if it threatens to break both of them.

“No, I don’t think I did”.

The hand around Nico’s arm twitches as if Karolina was struck by a blow, but its grip remains, never breaking contact. There are tears forming in Karolina’s eyes now, and Nico’s entire body screams at the sight, the urge to comfort Karolina cursing through her.  
But she stays put, her body immobile, her arm that is still held by Karolina limply hanging between them.

“It had already gone too far, you know. I had lost my dad, lost Alex, and it was all my fault. I think I realised that that night”.

Nico doesn’t know if her words actually explain anything, or if they are enough to make Karolina understand. For the past three years, she had hated herself time and again for leaving Karolina the way she had, and this moment, one of their last ones together had always stood out to her.  
It had been the first time Karolina’s unwavering trust in her had actually scared her. It had felt undeserved, and she had known then how recklessly she had put Karolina in danger. 

“Did you already know that you were going to leave?”

Karolina’s voice sounds thick now, coated with tears, and the fear transpiring the question doesn’t escape Nico.  
She thinks of the moments after that conversation, the voice in her head telling her to trust Karolina and to trust their love, and shudders.  
With shaky legs, she takes a step towards Karolina now, still leaving space between them, but close enough to feel the heat radiating from Karolina. 

“No. I never- I never wanted to hurt you, you have to believe me. I wanted to work this out with you, after the fight with Morgan. But then, after- after getting another person killed-“

Nico’s voice trails off and she can see Karolina opening her mouth to protest her choice of words, her eyes wide now, so she quickly continues.

“I was so scared that I was going to cause more harm to the people around me. And to you. It seemed like I had to leave to spare all of you that pain”.

Nico is annoyed at herself now. Years later, years of reliving that night over and over, and still she couldn’t find the right words to explain herself.  
It occurs to her that her inability to find an explanation was due to the fact that she never really knew if it was the right decision. Yes, her magic is strong now, pure, coming from a place of light instead of darkness. But who was to say she couldn’t have achieved that with her friends? With Karolina?

She had lost nights, whole days even to that question, and this day, and spending it with her old friends, reinforced all those worries tenfold.  
Her throat dry and tight now, Nico takes a deep breath, trying to steady herself, unable to decipher the way Karolina is looking at her now.

Karolina is staring at Nico, her eyes expressionless, seemingly contemplating Nico’s words.  
Her tears have stopped, but her lip is still quivering, and the sight makes Nico feel like someone is standing on her chest. She presses her lips together tightly, as if to stop more words from coming out of her mouth, more words that could make all of this even worse, but they bubble out of her anyways.

“I don’t know if it was the right choice. But I was overwhelmed and scared and- I just had to get away”.

Nico has to fight now to keep her own voice steady, and she has to look away when she adds what she had been wanting to tell Karolina all day.

“There wasn’t a night I wasn’t thinking about you”.

Not daring to look up at Karolina, afraid of her reaction, Nico keeps her stare fixed on a speck of dirt on the floor.  
Seconds go by in which Nico wonders what Karolina is going to do now, if she is going to say anything else when, suddenly, Karolina carefully pulls at Nico’s arm and turns both of them around, so that Nico’s back is facing the wall under the staircase now, Karolina standing in front of her, blocking her view of the room. 

Karolina is close to her now, really close, and the sudden change of position seems to knock the air out of Nico.

“Uhm-”

Nico frantically tries to find something to say, but the air around them suddenly feels too hot and too thick and speaking seems to require and incredible amount of effort.  
Nico’s thoughts are tripping over each other, trying to understand the situation, because she has no idea what Karolina is doing or why. There’s the desperate need within Nico to rationalise her sudden closeness within Karolina, so she looks around the room behind Karolina, her mind racing.

“We wouldn’t want... anyone to see us-”

Nico’s voice trails off before she even finishes the sentence. There is no way to deny this situation, and in the in the back of her mind there is already a realisation forming. Karolina is trying to be close to her. 

“No, we wouldn’t”.

There is something challenging in Karolina’s voice, a familiar tone that is somewhere between anger and playfulness, but Nico can’t bring herself to look up at Karolina to see the expression on her face. 

In an attempt to escape Karolina’s scent which surrounds her now, making her head swim and her legs shake, Nico leans back against the wall behind her.  
There is a sharp pain in her chest when she realises where they are standing, and she feels the memory of the graffiti they had discovered on their first day at the hostel basically searing itself into her back. 

No, you are not the light of the world, but you shine on me.

Nico winces, and closes her eyes in order stay focused. She can’t lose herself now, not like this.  
This entire day has already been too much for her, and finding Karolina either glaring at her or staring into space as if Nico wasn’t really there all day had hurt her beyond measure.  
To spare herself from the admittedly self-inflicted heartbreak, she had soon decided to just let Karolina be angry at her, not anticipating that she would get even a second alone with her anyway.  
Therefore, being here now, Karolina only inches away, overwhelms Nico completely. 

There’s a sense of familiarity that makes her dizzy and, at the same time, the knowledge that she is responsible for this Karolina, whose eyes were dull, almost as if she was living behind a veil, her sadness and anger only reflecting somewhere deep inside them, is painfully cursing through her head.  
She wishes that Karolina would just yell at her or direct another mean quip at her, anything to alleviate the current tension between them, but Karolina is still just standing there, while the air between them is crackling and it is threatening to break Nico.

Suddenly, Nico can feel Karolina shift in front of her, and the hand that is still wrapped around Nico’s wrist brushes against Nico’s waist, as Karolina ever so slightly moves closer into Nico. It seems unreal, Nico thinks, just the two of them alone after all these years, and every inch of her starts to tingle now, as if coming alive. 

Nico has lived through this exact moment probably a million times before, nights spend in her bed in agony imagining the multitude of possible outcomes when they would eventually see each other again. But none of those nights could have prepared her for this.  
Nothing could have prepared her for the way she would feel when being close to Karolina again.  
The wall just inches behind her, Nico almost feels trapped now, with Karolina still standing in front of her, looking down, her eyes raking across Nico’s face, which grows hotter by the second.  
At the same time, the cold of the wall’s surface slowly seeps through her shirt, prickling against the heat of her skin.

And with that, the memories of a different time, a different life, wash over Nico.

Karolina finding Nico’s gaze at a group breakfast in the hostel, her eyes so full of love that Nico feels like no danger is too great for them to conquer.

Karolina softly pushing her towards their bed in their old room, her eyebrow raised suggestively and a smirk on her lips.

Karolina, looking down at her reassuringly, in this same room, telling Nico that everything was going to be okay and kissing her with a tenderness that made Nico’ heart flutter.

Shaking her head a little too noticeably to get rid of the images, Nico catches herself wishing that this timeline would be erased already, that these broken versions of them would just vanish at this exact moment. 

An easy out, Nico thinks, and she feels like a coward for the first time in a very long time. 

But then, Nico can feel Karolina start to move again, this time with more purpose, as she grabs Nico’s other hand, that is still hanging limply by her side. Any wish to disappear leaves her mind then, when Karolina, with one final gentle movement, pushes her body against Nico’s, forcing Nico flush against the wall behind them, and buries her face in Nico’s hair. 

The sudden closeness immediately sends Nico’s mind into overdrive and she can feel her body tense up, her mind frantically trying to understand what Karolina is doing. She feels stupid in her inability to move or say anything, and it seems unfair to her that it’s Karolina now who has to take the first step towards her.

But still, she feels frozen and so, she waits.  
With her heart beating out of her chest and her body on fire.

For a few moments, Karolina doesn’t move again at all.  
Her breath is uneven, and it comes out in short puffs against Nico’s left temple as Nico can feel Karolina’s body start to tremble against her own. The feeling of Karolina so vulnerable in her arms sends a sharp pain to Nico’s chest and she hates herself for still not moving, still not being able to get her body to obey her. 

Every single one of her senses seems overwhelmed, as if they had forgotten what it was like to really feel until they are now coming alive again.  
Throughout the years Nico had tried to stifle any hopes of being able to be with Karolina again after returning home and she had barred herself from indulging in memories of Karolina and her together.  
So now, after years of solitude and repression, the physical proximity to Karolina is maddening and overwhelming in a way she has never felt before. 

The feeling of Karolina’s body against her own somehow feels completely new and entirely familiar.  
Her head is swimming with Karolina’s scent, intoxicating her, while the press of Karolina’s thighs against her hips, pushing her against the wall, and Karolina’s lips ghosting over her temple send flashes of heat to her center that feel undeserved and inappropriate.

Still, Nico can feel her fingers itch to touch Karolina, can feel the urge to kiss Karolina with a ferocity that almost scares her while her body is burning where Karolina’s is pushing into it with her own.  
Despite the heat cursing though her, however, she still feels frozen, her body immobile apart from her chest, which is rising and falling treacherously.

And then they way Karolina’s body is pushing into hers suddenly changes. 

Seemingly coming alive, Karolina isn’t just leaning into Nico anymore now, but she pushes into her with deliberate small movements while her hands run slowly up and down Nico’s sides. The sudden change of pace catches Nico off guard and her brain short-circuits while Karolina’s hands on her body raise havoc in their wake.  
Karolina’s hands reach Nico’s hips now, and grab them forcefully, pulling her impossibly closer. 

Karolina’s breath seems to have deepened still and when Karolina pulls away a second later to look at Nico, Nico’s finally finds the courage to face Karolina as well and raises her gaze to meet Karolina’s waiting eyes, which are already fixed on Nico. 

The sight of Karolina’s face only inches away from her almost renders Nico unable to breathe.

Gone is the dull expression in Karolina’s eyes, and, with another jolt of pain in her chest, Nico catches herself thinking that Karolina almost looks like her Karolina again.  
There’s sadness in her eyes still, but it seems overpowered by something else, maybe lust or maybe anger, and it surprises Nico that she finds herself terrified at either possibility. 

But it finally awakens something in Nico.  
She forces the words out in a hushed whisper:

“I’m so sorry Karolina”. 

As soon as she says it, however, she knows that it doesn’t explain or change anything.  
Yes, she is sorry, infinitely and unbelievable sorry, but it still happened. She still left. Karolina had always believed in her, had been so sure of their strength, and Nico had still left.

There is a flicker of something in Karolina’s eyes, maybe irritation, maybe surprise, and then Karolina’s face hardens again and her body retreats. It’s just a few inches, but the loss of contact leaves Nico’s entire body screaming for Karolina, and her heart sinks.

“Sure, that makes up for it”.

The words sound angry and sarcastic, and Karolina’s lips are pressed together as she lets out an angry huff of air.  
But, with relief washing over her, Nico discovers that Karolina’s eyes betray her. There is a softness in them still, and, as they travel over Nico’s face, Nico can see that they are full of love. 

Even after three years apart. 

She feels stupid and entirely undeserving of this, and yet, she can feel her heart grow at the realisation. 

Three years without any contact, three years of sadness, anger and desperation between them. And still, the way Karolina looks at her now almost makes it seem like no time has passed since their last kiss, up in their room, Nico’s tears coating both of their lips in the aftermath of Gert’s death.

And despite everything, Karolina’s gaze drops to Nico’s lips now, and, as she moves closer again, the promise of a kiss hits Nico like a freight train.

“What about J-“

Nico doesn’t want to ask the question, doesn’t even want to say the name, but the words bubble out of her before she can stop herself.  
Karolina stills, her lips only inches from Nico’s, and Nico could kick herself for having said anything.

The fear that she might have ruined the moment still cursing through her, she is glad when Karolina whispers a soft “Don’t, please” against her lips before she shakes her head, as if to rid herself of something.  
Taking a deep, trembling breath, she then brings one hand up to tuck a lose strand of hair behind Nico’s ear. The gesture feels so familiar and gentle that Nico’s chest hurts. 

“This version of us will get erased, right?” 

Karolina starts, her voice quiet and low, as if she is telling Nico a secret, while she still hasn’t moved away from Nico, so that each word is whispered against her lips.

“In an hour we won’t exist anymore and nothing we lived and experienced in the last three years will have mattered”. 

Nico can’t decipher Karolina’s face as she says this. She seems lost in thought as if she herself has to process this information before she suddenly raises her gaze and locks eyes with Nico again.  
Nico’s heart skips a beat when she sees the determination in Karolina’s eyes.  
And Karolina’s voice is suddenly steady.

“None of this will have mattered”. 

Karolina repeats the words as if to make sure that they are true and then continues speaking in a hushed whisper, her eyes still boring into Nico’s.

“I want this version of me to get to feel you again.”

She presses her hips into Nico, as if to underline her words, and her eyes are filled with a familiar fire now.

Nico’s jaw drops almost comically when she realises what Karolina is saying. She is unable to respond or even to think of anything resembling a response, and when Karolina’s grip on her hips tightens, all she can do is let out a soft groan against Karolina’s lips.

“Please, Nico. I need this”. 

Karolina sounds needy now and any last rational thought immediately leaves Nico’s mind. 

Before she realises what she is doing Nico’s lips are already on Karolina’s, kissing her hard. 

There is an immense sense of relief washing over Nico as her body finally relaxes, as if she found the answer to a question she had been too afraid to ask, and she finds herself immediately getting lost in Karolina, who responds eagerly to Nico’s forceful kiss. 

It’s scary how quickly Nico’s body remembers what it’s like to be with Karolina.  
Nico lets Karolina take control of the kiss, who is pushing into Nico forcefully while she brings up one of her hands behind Nico’s neck to pull her closer, deepening the kiss. The familiarity of the action hits Nico like a tidal wave threatening to drown her, and she goes willingly.

Entirely consumed by Karolina, Nico’s body starts to feel tingly and weak, and she is sure that her legs would give in if Karolina hadn’t pinned her tightly against the wall.  
Desperately trying to be even closer to Karolina, Nico’s hands are clinging to Karolina’s back, as if she is the last solid thing in a sea of nothingness around her. When she can feel Karolina’s tongue against her lips, she opens her mouth willingly and soon they are both lost in the unrestrained ferocity of the kiss, pushing and pulling at each other greedily.

Then, two things happen at once. 

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Nico registers a swell of strange whispers that start floating through the air around them and it takes Nico a few seconds to realise that are coming from the phone Morgan had planted on the top of the stairs. 

At the same time, the light quality suddenly changes, and specks of blue and pink light illuminate the space around them.

Karolina is glowing. 

Nico breaks their kiss reluctantly, tearing her lips away from Karolina’s with her last remaining ounce of strength, the threat of discovery now imminent. When she opens her eyes, she finds Karolina staring at her in disbelief, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

“I- I forgot I do that”.

The confession almost startles Nico enough to forget the shielding spell that had manifested itself inside of her as soon as she had realised that they were in danger of discovery.  
Somehow, she manages to concentrate on the warmth that is building in her hand, and she quickly lets go of Karolina as she waves her hand in a sweeping gesture around them.

Instantly, the footsteps and voices behind them grow dull, as if everything around them is happening behind an invisible wall.  
Nico lets out a sigh, relief washing over her. Her spell worked, no one would be able to see them now.

Slowly, she shifts her focus to Karolina again, who is still staring at her with parted lips, her breath coming out in short puffs against Nico’s cheeks. Her lips are red and swollen, her pupils dilated, and the sight resonates as a rumble deep within Nico as heat pools between her legs.

Seeing, however, the apologetic look in Karolina’s eyes, as she turns her head away from Nico, she tries to calm her body down, inhaling a deep, but shaky breath. Karolina is staring at her hand now, turning it around as if she doesn’t recognise it as a part of her body, and Nico has gather up all her strength to place a trembling hand on Karolina’s cheek, turning her head back to face her.

“Don’t worry, they can’t see us. I used a protection spell”.

Nico knows that the way Karolina’s eyes frantically try to focus on anything but Nico’s gaze is not due to them almost being discovered but she doesn’t know what else to say. Karolina smiles and breathes out a small “impressive” in admiration, but then bows her head again, the shock still evident on her face. 

“Hey Karolina. It- it’s okay, really”.

Nico tries to sound reassuring, but her voice comes out hoarse and low as she struggles for words, because her mind keeps wandering, an unstoppable sense of pride swelling in her chest.

Karolina had forgotten that she glows.

Which meant she didn’t glow with Julie. Nico tries to stop herself from repeating this thought over and over in her mind, tries to find something to say to make Karolina feel better, but it seems impossible to focus.

Karolina didn’t glow with Julie.

“I- I’m so sorry”.

Karolina seems to say the words to herself more than to Nico, but they finally bring Nico back and away from her thoughts.  
She softly smiles at Karolina, and when Karolina finally looks at her again, responding with a small, insecure smile herself, Nico realises that Karolina is feeling the same way as her right now. 

That she feels like no time has passed between them at all.  
And it scares them both.

Gently, Nico traces a thumb across Karolina’s cheek.

“Stop. You don’t have to be sorry. About anything. Okay?”

Nico’s body is still riding the high of the feeling of Karolina’s lips against her own, and the thought of stopping this now, of letting go of Karolina and escaping her warm embrace seems downright impossible, so she brings up her other hand to gently stroke Karolina’s cheek.  
There is still the hint of a tear glistening right under Karolina’s left eye, and when she wipes it away with her finger, Nico is suddenly so sure of her love for the girl in front of her that for a second she can’t help but stare. 

“What?”

Karolina’s voice is gentle, and there is a hint of fear in her voice, perhaps afraid of Nico’s answer.

Cupping Karolina’s face with both of her hands now, Nico’s voice almost fails at the sight of the softness in Karolina’s face. She isn’t sure if she should say it now, or if it would sound insincere, but she knows it’s true and so she whispers the words carefully, her eyes locked with Karolina’s.

“I never should have left”.

For a second, Nico thinks that she should have waited until this was all over to say it, but Karolina’s response is instant, and after she swallows audibly and takes a deep breath in, she captures Nico’s lips in a searing kiss as her hands grab Nico’s waist to pull her close.

“And I still want you”. 

Karolina breaks the kiss only long enough to whisper the words against Nico’s lips and Nico feels like she is about to faint.  
The tingling in her stomach comes back in full force when Karolina deepens their kiss, licking into her mouth, and it drops right to her center when Karolina pushes her against the wall again, sliding a leg in between Nico’s. 

Her every sense is now invaded by Karolina, whose hands seem to be everywhere at once. There are lights surrounding them again, specks of purple and pink, and Nico is sure that it is the most beautiful thing she has ever seen. And it’s all just for her.  
For a split-second, Karolina tears her lips away from Nico’s once more, her voice now lower than ever.

“We don’t have much time”.

Her lips are back on Nico’s then, as though they never left, and Nico feels like she’s drowning in Karolina, her eyes rolling back in her head at the words.  
She doesn’t get the chance to answer, and she is glad, because she is sure she wouldn’t manage to say actual words right now, the implication of what is about to happen making her dizzy as her body buzzes for more.

And Karolina doesn’t waste any time.  
Nico is already shamelessly grinding into Karolina’s thigh when Karolina captures Nico’s bottom lip between her teeth and it makes Nico’s entire body arch up into her.  
The combined sensations of Karolina’s frenzied kisses and her thigh that carefully meets each movement of Nico’s hips turns Nico into a mess of strangled moans and soft noises within seconds, and Nico briefly wonders how she was able to survive without this for three years.

Her body has slipped from her control embarrassingly fast, the wetness between her legs becoming more evident by the second, as Nico is holding onto Karolina for dear life, one of her hands lost in Karolina’s hair, pulling at her neck to keep her close, and her other one clinging to Karolina’s back.

There is no space between them now as Nico desperately tries to increase the friction, her hips bucking into Karolina uncontrollably. With a soft chuckle, Karolina pushes into Nico again, forcing her back against the wall, and a moan escapes Nico’s lips.  
There’s a momentary loss of contact that makes Nico whine, a desperate noise which is swallowed by Karolina whose lips are still on Nico’s, and then Karolina brings her hand down from Nico’s hair to hover over Nico’s lower stomach.

Trying to stay calm, Nico focuses on kissing Karolina, reassuring her that yes, she wants this, sure that she is going to implode if Karolina doesn’t touch her soon.  
When Karolina still doesn’t move her hand, Nico breaks their kiss reluctantly, only for a second, to open her eyes and look at Karolina.  
Their eyes meet through hooded eyelids, pupils dilated, and Nico barely manages a nod, before she closes her eyes again to capture Karolina’s waiting lips.

It’s all Karolina seemed to need.  
She flattens her hand against Nico’s stomach, and slowly slides it down until Nico’s breath hitches violently when gentle fingers reach their destination.

Again, it seems like no time has passed between them.

Karolina sets up a rhythm that has Nico tethering on the edge embarrassingly fast, seemingly remembering every little touch that makes Nico go insane with need.  
Wanting to savour every touch, every little feeling, Nico presses a series of unfocused kisses on Karolina’s lips as she tries to keep her hips from bucking into Karolina’s hand to prolong the familiar heat building up in her stomach.

But Nico knows she can’t last long, not today, and when her head finally slumps back against the wall behind them, her eyes shut tightly, and her lower lip caught between her teeth, Karolina holds Nico securely against the wall as her body starts to shake.

Her orgasm comes quickly and forcefully, and when Nico finally stops erratically grinding down on Karolina’s hand, she feels like she is floating on a cloud of bliss.

“Wow”.

The breathless utterance reaches Nico delayed and as if through a wall of cotton.  
But then a careful hand under Nico’s chin lifts her up to meet Karolina’ eyes and Nico comes back to reality. Upon seeing Karolina smile down at her, she can feel a dopey grin spread across her face and she shakes her head, the surreality of the situation almost making her giggle.  
Instead, a content sigh escapes Nico’s lips.

“Yeah, wow”.

They stand like this for a short while, lost in each other’s eyes, before Karolina’s lights subside and they are surrounded by the dusty greys of the hostel again.

Taking a deep breath in, Karolina steps away from Nico then, bringing up her hands to try and flatten her hair.

“You think we look suspicious?”

Karolina makes a faux-serious face and straightens out her shirt before doing a little salute at Nico, the hint of a smirk on her lips.

“Because we still have a fight to win”.

Karolina giggles softly before her face turns serious again.  
Her hands still trembling, Nico pushes herself away from the wall, following Karolina’s attempts to fix her clothing, careful not to lose eye contact with Karolina who looks increasingly concerned now.

“We will win, right? We have to”.

There’s a sadness back in Karolina’s voice now and Nico wishes nothing more than to never have to see Karolina like this again. So, she nods, hesitant at first, but then she feels a new-found confidence surging through her body.  
They were going to win; Nico was suddenly sure of it. They were going to save Gert. And Karolina and Nico were going to be together.

Nico takes another step towards Karolina and places a gentle kiss on her lips. When she steps away again, the air seems to cool down suddenly, and the voices in the rooms around them start to swell up.  
Her spell was wearing off.

Nico stretches out her hand towards Karolina and squeezes it tightly when Karolina takes it. She feels strong now, and there’s a sense of calm spreading within her that seems incompatible with the imminent battle. But her heart is full, and when Karolina smiles at her it’s without hesitation, her eyes ablaze. 

And it shocks Nico how much she believes the words when she whispers them to Karolina now, before pulling Karolina out of the bubble of her increasingly weak protection spell.

“Everything will be okay, I promise”.


End file.
